Future Human: Smart Self

March 13th 2013, from 19:00 to 21:30

Seminar

Technology

A Wired reader wrote…

It’s back: Britain’s razor sharp showcase of future tensity returns for Smart Self, where we will gather to explore the booming intersection between wearable technology and the self-improvement industry. It's going down at The Book Club on Wednesday March 13 at 7–9.30pm, and tickets are available at www.futurehuman.co.uk.

In the late 20th Century, baby boomers began to worship at the altar of, well, themselves. Unburdened by the religious and moral expectations of their parents, the post Second World War generation devoted unprecedented energy towards understanding their psyche, their emotional complexion and their physical wellbeing. And understanding themselves meant improving themselves: the self-help lifestyle boom emerged as a byproduct of the Me generation’s pursuit of 'wholeness', along with numerous social Bibles, from Chicken Soup For The Soul to Jane Fonda workout videos.

However, just as the bookshop and video shop are struggling in the digital era, so the £7 billion a year global self-help industry’s existence is threatened by a new breed of personal technologies that ask us to put the computer chip at the heart of a modern lifestyle. Out go the common sense homilies and spiritual guidance of the ‘Me’ era, and in comes data monitoring, wearable gadgetry, and 'quantifiable outcomes'. Yet it does not end there: brain-scanning headsets, ‘fitbits’ and removable tattoos that measure heart rate are also contributing towards a movement that encourages us to manipulate our lifestyle like a smartphone screen.

The ‘Smart Self’ movement encompasses a growing industry in personal health and fitness technologies, digitally customisable clothing the wearer can 'code' or which interprets their emotions, and also personal relationship analysis, including the application of behavioural economics to marriage counselling. But can a human relationship truly be enhanced by crunching the numbers? How does wearable technology parse raw data into meaningful information without sacrificing our privacy? And will greater measurement ever truly produce a happy psyche?

We have a tremendous panel of innovators joining us to discuss how the human body is in fact a grand canvas for wearable science.

Daniel Hirschmann is the co-founder of Technology Will Save Us, ‘a haberdashery for technology and education.’ Their products include attention grabbing LED sunglasses that teach you how to code, and musical instruments that can hone your soldering skills. Daniel also runs an agency called Hirsch & Mann, which creates responsive artworks for clients including Beats By Dre, the Whitney Museum of Art and Siemens.

Francesca Rosella is the co-founder of Cute Circuit, a London based fashion house that designs technologically enhanced clothing. Using LEDs, Internet connections, accelerometers, and smart materials that track the wearer’s movements, Cute Circuit clothes can display tweets or programmable graphics and respond to their environment. Their creations have been worn on stage by the likes of Katy Perry, U2 and Nicole Scherzinger.

Finally, Paul Landau is the CEO of Fitbug, a consumer health and technology company he founded in 2005. Fitbug products are wearable devices that track user movements, linking to smartphone apps that can create tailored exercise programs and provide dietary guidance. Recently Fitbug partnered with the NHS and other private healthcare providers to help patients learn how to improve their fitness, and they also work with employers to create wellness programs for staff.

On March 13, you can expect information overload, an impromptu invitation to craft your own wearable tech, big-screen Twitter mania and the finest cocktails this side of Havana. We hope you will join us on a voyage of self-discovery and personal enhancement, as we find out how wearable technologists help us tap into our Smart Self.